In the build-up to WrestleMania 32, the Flickering Myth writers look back at previous installments of the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’.
The Card:
Owen Hart vs. Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart
Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon vs. Doink & Dink
Crush w/Mr. Fuji vs. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage (Falls Count Anywhere Match)
WWF Women’s Title: Leilani Kai vs. Alundra Blayze
WWF Title Match: Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna w/Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette (Win by DQ)
IC Title Match: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (Ladder Match)
WWF Tag Title Match: The Quebecers w/Johnny Polo vs. Men on a Mission w/Oscar (Win by Count-Out)
Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb w/Harvey Wippleman
WWF Title Match: Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart vs. Yokozuna w/Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette
The Lows:
The WrestleMania X card is an impressive; there can be no doubt in that. The low-points are few and far-between.
However, one such disappointment takes the form of a WWF Title match between Lex Luger and Yokozuna. The company’s premier title was defended twice during the night, and this match was by-far the less entertaining.
Luger and Yoko’ may not have connected with the audience as well as some of the all-time greats, but there’s no doubt that they were both hugely impressive athletes in their own ways. With that said, it’s all the more disappointing that they were booked into such a poor situation here.
A recently returning Mr Perfect was filling the role of Special Guest Referee, and would have a significant impact on the matches finish. With Yokozuna seemingly down for the count, Luger goes for the pin. Sadly for him, Perfect is distracted by clearing Mr Fuji and Jim Cornette out of the ring. Luger is justifiably furious at the lack of pinfall, and grabs the guest official in his rage. Perfect tells him that ‘you never put your hands on a WWF official’ and calls for DQ. It’s a lousy ending to a lousy match.
As the story goes, Luger was originally scheduled to win the gold, but let word slip to a journalist in New York. His loose lips cost him dearly, as Vince quickly changed the result and Luger would never become champion.
The Highs:
Up until this point, WrestleMania had provided few veritable ‘classics’: British Bulldogs/The Dream Team at WMII, Savage/Steamboat a year later, and Warrior/Savage at ‘Mania VII. Other than those, there hasn’t really been any 10/10, unmissable matches.
WrestleMania X had two of them on the same card.
First off, you have what is arguably still the best opening match in WrestleMania history: Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart vs. ‘The Rocket’ Owen Hart.
The story going into the bout was that Owen had grown tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, and was looking to prove that he was the superior athlete. It was a great angle, which catapulted the younger sibling into the upper echelons of the roster. What added to the drama was the fact that everyone knew that Bret had a WWF Title match later in the night (a result of that year’s controversial Royal Rumble finish).
The Canadian brothers put on an absolute clinic; an immaculate display of technical-style wrestling that was peppered with engrossing story-telling. Some of the sequences here are just astonishing. For example, at one point mid-match Bret twists out of a headlock and launches his brother into the ropes, before catching him on the rebound for a spinning backbreaker. Owen has other ideas however, as he flips both himself and Bret out of the backbreaker and nails him with a jumping Tombstone Piledriver. The Hitman kicks out at 2 and they immediately dive into the next gasp-inducing set-piece.
In the end it was Owen that stood tall in victory, which was probably the right decision. Prior to this match, ‘The Rocket’ had a career that was treading water at best; this win really put him on the map. Also, it’s worth noting that the loss did absolutely nothing to detract from Bret’s main-event status (he’d be WWF Champion before the night was through!)
The second classic match of the night came in the form of an Intercontinental Title battle between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. There were two elements in the build up to this match that made it unique. Firstly, both men had a fairly legitimate claim to the title, as HBK kayfabe ‘left’ the WWF with the title, and was therefore never defeated. Secondly, the match be WrestleMania’s first ever ladder match.
Over the years, it’s been easy to grow numb towards the ladder match, as they have continually escalated into carefully-choreographed spot-fests. It isn’t until you return to this early incarnation that you realise how vital storytelling can be to this particular match type. Yes, the high-risk spots are there (Shawn’s splash off the top is particularly spectacular), but the in-ring psychology is always kept at the forefront.
The fact that is only one ladder, and it is used so sparingly in the early segments, builds the anticipation of the crowd and the viewers at home. The ladder never becomes the focal point of the bout, but rather a prop to enhance what would have been an incredible match regardless.
Overview:
What a phenomenal show! Aside from the two irrefutable classics, the rest of the card is also remarkably strong.
The Tag Title match between The Quebecers and Men on a Mission was a great way of introducing the latter team (which featured future King of the Ring, Mabel, a.k.a Viscera, a.k.a Big Daddy V). The belts didn’t change hands due to the count-out finish, but for a newly formed tag team to beat the champions at their inaugural ‘Mania is pretty impressive.
Elsewhere, the show’s main event was decent, if a little overshadowed by what preceded it. Nonetheless, Bret Hart and Yokozuna put on an exciting performance in which both men did a great job of selling their injuries from their previous matches.
After the car-crash that was ‘Mania IX, this was a complete turnaround. WrestleMania X remains one of the best editions of the event to this day.
Jackson Ball – Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn
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